Art, Ecology & Education Project

ARM AT A GLANCE

•          Name of the Organisation     :Alternative for Rural Movement(ARM)

•          Address                            : AT/PO :BALIAPAL, Dist: BALASORE, ORISSA, INDIA 

    Pin Code                            :756026, Telephone:++916781253424/253704

    E-mail                               :arm100@rediffmail.com,arm1000@gmail.com,

    Website                                      : www.armngo.com

•          Year of Establishment         :  1989

•           

•          Date of Registration            :  16^th December, 1989

•          Chief Functionary               : Mr. Rajendra Kumar Rana

                                                Coordinating Member

•          Legal Status

§         PAN No: AAATA4360P

§         TAN NO: BBNA00835C

•          Area of Operation               :Balasore district ,Balasore,Orissa,INDIA

GENESIS

Driven by a desire to lead full lives, live as members of a group doing things for themselves, their fellow beings and for the community as well, a handful of academicians, visionaries and professionals of North Balasore at Baliapal dewombed ARM unto the limelight in the 8^th of March, 1989. Construed to extend a helping hand to the suffering mass against recurrent vagaries of nature (flood & cyclone ) in the coastal district; the arms of ARM have been engaged since then in the empowerment and mainstreaming of socio-economically marginalized and vulnerable rural sections by viewing development as a process of increasing the personal and institutional capacities of members to mobilize and manage resources to produce sustainable and justly distributed improvement  in their quality of life consistent with their own aspirations. Alternative for Rural Movement (ARM) has been registered as a voluntary development organization under the Society Registration Act XXI of 1860, Income Tax Act 12 A & Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 1976 and organized till date over 300 Women Self Help Groups (WSGs) across 100 remote rural villages in 16 Gram Panchayats serving a population of 1, 18,748 (21376 families) of Balasore district in the state of Orissa (India).

BACKGROUND & PHILOSOPHY

The “Trickle Down” Model (TDM) of socio-economic development advocated & pursued by the state administration after national independence sine (1947) found very little evidence of anything tricking down to the common masses. The failure of the model has caused concern which set ARM’s like –minded group of activists to think about a viable alternative strategy as a matter of urgent necessity. The situation became different from the past with the rising consciousness among an increasing number of people that the existence of mass poverty and reigning socio-economic handicap should and could be changed. Hence the christening of “Alternative for Rural Movement” (ARM). It was observed that there was a need for new and innovative approaches for a more equal and just development according to the real needs and wishes of the poor population on the basis of local  needs and demands not only for the successful implementation of the proposed development projects but also for their lasting effects.

It was thus felt that modernization concepts with large scale development programmes where a ‘trickle down’ effect was hoped for, but rarely achieved through ‘top-down’ planning strategies should be superceded by more poverty oriented ,participatory development concepts through small scale programmes and ‘bottom up’ planning procedures. ARM has since then been trying to project & implement a people centred development vision that looks to justice, sustainability and inclusiveness as the principles of authentic development.

ARM views development as a people’s movement, rather than as  foreign funded/ Government projects and enables people to develop themselves with the minimum available resources and maximum incorporation of prevailing administrative opportunities within the existing infrastructure .Thus the three basic ingredients of popular participation as identified by ARM team of development harbingers towards a sustainable social order include “mass involvement in decision making”, “mass contribution to development” and “mass sharing of benefits of development” in consonance  with various UN resolutions.

Hence, the concept of ‘mass participation in decision making and implementation’ is viewed at ARM as a system of interlocking relationships between villagers & the village level institutions that mobilize this participation and strengthen the level of institution further up to the national mainstream . Our bottom up participatory long term approach, thus, seeks to release the social energy of the people towards attaining the self – defined goals of development and ratifies the principle of planning with the people through micro planning efforts with micro planning achievements incorporating the relevant principles of poverty alternation to contribute & complement this innovative paradigm.

MISSION

Establishment of an equitable social order through motivation facilitation and self activity among backward rural communities with emphasis on women and children in the sphere of health, education, human rights, economy and rural leadership.

VISION

To find out an alternative strategy of rural social intervention and facilitate the NGO movement in the state of Orissa.

MANDATES

•          To facilitate empowerment, solidarity and leadership capacities of backward rural women and the under privileged social sections.

•          To sensitize, act and promote basic education, rural health, eco environment and quality of living in the problem villages.

•          To restore and strengthen the advocacy of human and child rights activities of vulnerable social categories concentrating on women and girls rights for preventing social discrimination and oppression.

•          To garner economic empowerment and rural self employment of socially handicapped sections through credit and savings, eco friendly sustainable agriculture, micro enterprises and establishment of a value chain based marketing network.

•          To conduct information networking, need based research, documentation and create a data base on all aspects of a prospective rural socio economy.

Strategy :

ARM has shifted from its strategies of development and welfare approach to rights based approach for empowerment of rural poor, especially women and children. It aims at organizing and bringing the backward rural communities, especially women and children into the mainstream of social development by sensitizing them about their rights. Participatory decision making, community involvement in developmental planning and Self Help for natural resource utilization and socio economic progress have been the major focus .

CORE VALUES OF ARM:

·         People centered development vision

·         Social justice, sustainability and inclusiveness as the    principles of authentic development.

·         Views development as a people’s movement.

·         Enable people to develop themselves

·         Ascendance in nurturing ,enabling and conserving dimensions of female consciousness

·         Mass sharing of benefits of development

·         Mass contribution to development

·         Sensitivity & responsiveness to the aspirations of common people

·         Creating and sustaining an atmosphere of growth and social change

·         Honesty and integrity in thought & action

·         Result oriented approach.

Target Groups

•          Poor & backward Rural Women

Ø       SC/ST/OBC Women

Ø       Poorest of the poor women

Ø       Trafficked women

Ø       Women farmers

•          Children (5-16 years)

Ø       Girls, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe children

Ø       Children with special needs

Ø       Drop out and non-starter children

Children at risk

• Vulnerable Rural population below poverty line

Major Activities

Model School Education of children, Women literacy, Teaching material support to school students, Women Empowerment and rights, Women SHG promotion and Micro Credit, Small Business Development, Mobile Health Clinic, Nutritional support to pregnant mothers and children, Community infrastructure development, Advocacy/ Campaign/ Networking, Human Resource Development Training, propagation for Child Rights Support Services, Water and Sanitation programme, Revitalization of Tribal cultural heritage, Eco-environment promotion and Sustainable Agriculture

Yearly Budget: USD 80,000

PARTNERS IN PROGRESS

STATE ADMINISTRATION

District Collector & Magistrate, Balasore

District Rural Development Agencies, Balasore

Health & Family Welfare Department, Govt. of Orissa

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 

NON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Action Children Aid, Denmark,

Catholic Relief Service, USA,

Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), Kolkata

MISEREOR, Germany,

AJWS, USA

BSSS,Balasore

AWARD FOR ARM’s SELF HELP GROUP ACTIVITIES

-Award and Citation from HON’BLE CHIEF MINISTER, Orissa State Under Mission  Shakti Programme Recognized as BEST FACILITATOR for organizing Self Help Groups (WSHG),women empowerment and child rights activities.

-Awards from Dhwani Pratidhwani and other literary organizations.

FUTURE PLAN

•          To undertake an integrated project for empowerment of women of scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and other backward communities through education, legal counseling and aids, skill training and income generation activities

•          To provide mobile health care and referral services by involving and educating community people

•          Development of School Resource Centre

•          To strengthen and flourish inter group network through electronic and mass media communication facilities.

•          To develop rural libraries for school students and neo literates

•          To establish health centre for reproductive and child health care service delivery

•          To establish a vocational technical education school for women/Girls

•          To undertake  HIV/AIDS/STDs Interventions programmes

•          To strengthen and extend micro enterprises for poor and needy groups

•          To strengthen and extend support for promotion of Self Help Groups and development of thrift savings and micro credit programmes for women

•          To undertake comprehensive tribal development activities including development of tribal cultural heritage

•          Community Based Disaster Preparedness programme

•          To set up and run home and day care centres for aged persons

•          To undertake low cost housing and sanitation programme in Tribal and Scheduled Castes villages.

•          To adopt Govt. Rural CHC/PHC/Sub Centres for better management of the health services

•          To adopt Govt. public schools for introducing model education approach.

RAJENDRA KUMAR RANA

    Coordinating Member